1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a multitasking method and apparatus of a user device and, in particular, to a multitasking method and apparatus of a user device that is capable of intuitively and swiftly switching between background and foreground tasks running on the user device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication and information processing on the move is a fundamental feature of portable user devices such as a cellular phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), electronic organizer, and tablet Personal Computer (PC). Newer user devices also incorporate various features such as data communication including video as well as basic voice and text communication, an electronic organizer, a camera, email, broadcast play, Internet access, audio playback, a scheduler, Social Networking Service (SNS), a messenger, a dictionary, and gaming. These features can be embedded at the user device manufacturing stage or added in the form of applications downloaded by the user.
Such applications can be running on the user device simultaneously based on the multitasking function supported by the user device. That is, the user device supporting the multitasking function is capable of simultaneously processing multiple tasks. In such a case, the user device displays the execution screen of the application selected by the user among the applications running simultaneously while other applications are running on the background without display of all their execution screens. Typically, the task-switching is from the task on the top layer (e.g. application running on the foreground with the presentation of its execution screen on the display unit) to another task (e.g. application running on the background) is made in such a manner that the execution screen of the foreground-running main task is replaced by a list of all tasks running currently in the user device and then the task selected by the user from the list becomes the main task with the presentation of its execution screen.
In order to check all of the applications running in the user device or switch the main task from the application running on the foreground to one of the applications running on the background, the user has to terminate the main task or manipulate the main task to be running on the background with the presentation of the task list so as to select a new main task from the task list, resulting in cumbersome manipulation. That is, the conventional task-switching mechanism of the portable user device lacks intuitiveness, resulting in user inconvenience. There is therefore a need of a method for facilitating a convenient switch among multiple tasks running on a user device.